Electric-wire fixture



June 12, 1923.

C.BARTON ELECTRIC WIRE FIXTURE Filed Dec. 2. 1921 IN VEN TOR. %0r/95 Ear/1y.

A TTORNEYS Patented June 12, 1923.

f STATES PATENT OFFICE.

"csxarasg xama, or orm n, ofiTARio, Grimm, ss n o SWEDISH CRUCIBLE STEELCOMPANK OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF magma-a.

ELECTRIC-WIRE FIXTURE.

a'ppn'cauan snare-camber 2, 1921. Serial 1w. 519,415.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI-',-- CHARLES BARTON, a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Ford City,in' the county of Es- 5 sex, Province of Ontario, Canada, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in ElectricsWire Fixtures,-o-f which the following is a specificatiomreference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to fittings used for the hanging and wiring of electric lighting fixtures suspended from ceilings or attached to walls and particularly to the construction of the member known asthe hickey.

It is the regular practice in the hanging of electric fixtures to provide first a fixture stud which is fastened by means of screws to the ceiling or wall. On this stud is screwed a hollow member or hickey from which hangs the fixture proper. It is neces sary for the hickey to have an opening at the lower end for the insertion of the electric wires and another opening near the top for their outlet, in order to connect them to the live wires which comes through the ceiling near the fixture stud. The upper part of this tube is generally covered by a canopy which hides the electrical connections.

These hickeys, when made of a piece of tubing, generally have two openings for the outlet of the wires, these openings being diametrically opposed so that wires may be inserted in the tube as far as the top and then fished out through the openings or else a tool inserted in one of the holes and the wires pushed out through the opposite hole,

. which operation is more or less tedious.

Another condition often found in electric fixture wiring and especially where metal ceilings are used is that through improperly insulated wires, a short circuit is created somewhere on the line grounding the ceiling and the fixtures, with danger to any one coming in contact with the metallic part of these fixtures. I

It is the object of my invention to first provide a hickey which renders the insertion of the wires a simple matter, and secondly, to insulate the fixture from the hickey so that in case the ceiling becomes grounded, there is no danger to persons coming in contact or handling the fixture.

Reference will now be had to the drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of the fixture or hickey;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; showing wires or conductors extending therethrough;

, Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a modified form of fixture or hickey with parts thereof separated, and

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the fixture or hickey with wires or conductors therein.

In the drawing, the reference numeral 1 denotes a fixture stud having lateral apertured ears or lugs 2 by which the fixture stud may be attached to a ceiling, wall or other support by screws or other fastening means (not shown). The fixture stud has a depending exteriorly screw threaded nipple 3 on which may be screwed a tubular or hollow fixture member 10, preferably made of a piece of metallic tubing, either steel or brass, and the ends of the fixture member are interiorly screwthreaded.

In the lower end of the fixture members 10 is screwed an interiorly screwthreaded bushing 6, made of fiber, hard rubber or any other insulating material. Into this bushing is screwed the tubular or hollow stem 9 of a ring or suspension member 5 and it is from this ring or suspension member that a chandelier, globe or other electric lighting fixture may be suspended, as is now the practice in connection with indirect light. I

A side wall of the fixture member or tube 10, adjacent its upper end, is provided with an oblong opening 4 which is made by cutting the metal at three adjoining places and bending the metal between such cuts inwardly to form an angularly disposed tongue 8 that contacts with the wall of the tube 10, opposite the opening 4 and provides a deflector within the upper end of the tube. In cutting the tube it is preferable that one of the cuts be at an angle so as to provide a. beveled edge 7 on the lower end of the tongue 8. The tongue or deflector 8 blocks the upper end of the tube 10 and when wires or conductors 11 are inserted through the tubular stem 9, the bushing 6 and into the tube 10, the upper ends of the wires or conductors will impinge against the tongue or deflector 8 and be shifted through the oblong opening 4:, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the ends of the wires may be conveniently connected to other wires. 7

A slight modification of my invention is shown in Figs. 3 and 4, wherein a fixture member or tube 12 has opposed openings 13 formed by punching in tongues 15 which contact within the fixture member or tube and provides an inverted V-shaped deflector therein, which permits of the upper ends of the Wires or conductors 11 being separately deflected out of the openings 13.

From the foregoing it will be observed that in either instance, the wires or conduc-- tors 11 may be quickly threaded through the fixture member or hickey, and that in case a metallic ceiling becomes grounded, the fixture member or hickey is the only part that may be charged, and since this member or hickey is ordinarily out of reach there is absolutely no danger in handling an electric light fixture suspended from the hickey.

WVhile in the drawing there is illustrated the preferred embodiments of my invention,

it is to be understood that the structural elements are susceptible to such changes in size, shape and manner of assemblage as fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is An electric light fixture comprising a wall stud, a hollow fixture member supported thereby, said fixture member having opposed side walls cut and the cut material struck inwardly to leave opposed side openings adjacent the upper end of said member with the inwardly struck material supported from the upper end Walls of said openings and the lower ends of the material meeting to form a V-shaped deflector in said fixture member at the openings thereof and adapted to guide ends of wires out of the fixture member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES BARTON.

\Vitnesses:

KARL H. BUTLER, ANNA M. Dorm. 

